Today, I choose to mourn for the untimely and early death of Michael King, Jr. When I think of courage, he is on the list. Even his father practiced courage after a trip abroad. After feeling inspired by a religious revival in Germany, he courageously chose to change his own name as well as that of his five-year-old son upon returning to America. They each became known as Martin Luther King from that day forward to honor Martin Luther, another courageous figure who stood up to the church and prompted Protestantism.
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. was once stabbed, nearly a decade prior to his assassination? He was at a book signing when someone tried to stab him in the heart. Fortunately, they missed, allowing us all to learn and grow from him for more years. What if he had thrown in the towel then? What if he gave into fear when anonymous letters poured in with threats, disparaging comments, or blackmail? Can you imagine a world without “I Have a Dream” in it? I shudder at the thought; I dare not dream of it.
We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will. And we shall continue to love you.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
What impresses me most, though, is his ability to still turn the other cheek. I think that epitomizes courage – to boldly and blatantly forgive an aggressive assailant. I think he had so many reasons to be incredibly angry and vengeful. However, he preached and practiced nonviolence. In my opinion, it is a tough ideal to follow. It can be so easy, in my past experience at least, to be quick to temper and then rage in some cases. As they say, though, practice makes permanent, so I will courageously exert my will pacifistically, too.
There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and left standing amid the piercing chill of an alpine November.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rosa grew tired of being told to stand for a white man. I am thankful she was able to work with MLK, Jr. to enable the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. I believe we should all share July’s sunlight as well as November’s chill in equitable amounts.
You can kill the dreamer, but you can’t kill the dream.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell. Dream courageously, y’all :) <3